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U.S. pairs get shakeup with Castelli-Shnapir leading

Kelly Whiteside, USA TODAY Sports
11:58 p.m. EST January 24, 2013

Marissa Castelli and Simon Shnapir compete during the senior pairs short program of the U.S. Figure Skating Nationals at the CenturyLink Center in Omaha on Thursday. Pairs will be a part of the new figure skating team event to debut in Sochi, Russia.(Photo: Guy Rhodes-USA TODAY Sports)

Story Highlights

OMAHA – Entering the pairs competition of the U.S. Figure Skating Championships at CenturyLink Center, this much was certain: There would be three new medalists crowned.

The top three teams from last year's nationals were nowhere to be found on Thursday. Two ended their partnerships and the defending champs, Caydee Denney and John Coughlin, withdrew because Coughlin is recovering from hip surgery.

Which set the stage for Marissa Castelli and Simon Shnapir who are in first after a 62.27 in their short program on Thursday. After a spirited skate to "Stray Cat Strut" and "The Pink Panther," Castelli and Shnapir showed they are the couple to beat. They finished fifth last year.

"We had a couple of bobbles but I'm happy with what we put out there," Shnapir said.

A thin margin separates second through fifth place heading into Saturday's free skate. Felicia Zhang and Nathan Bartholomay were in second, followed by Alexa Scimeca and Christopher Knierim . "We've been working on a calm aggressiveness throughout our program and we tried to drive that home today," Bartholomay said.

Castelli and Shnapir have skated together since 2006, which compared with several other couples is an eternity. Zhang and Bartholomay are competing in only their second nationals together. Scimeca and Knierim have been competing together for just seven months.

Another couple, Mark Ladwig and Lindsay Davis, have been together since June. Ladwig, 32, competed at the 2010 Olympics with his long-term partner, Amanda Evora who retired. Skating to a well, interesting, hybrid of OneRepublic's "Secrets" mixed with Beethoven's 5th Symphony, Davis and Ladwig scored a 51.65, good enough for fifth.

Another skater of note, Kira Baga competed the first leg of her doubleheader. Baga, 17, competed in pairs with partner Taylor Toth, and finished eighth in the short program. Then, a few hours later, she planned to switch costumes and compete as a singles skater. She's the only senior-level competitor pulling double duty.

Pairs once again is the USA's biggest weakness, and there are just 10 duos competing in nationals. In comparison, there are 21 women skating singles. "Technically, if you cut the 21 into pairs it's about the same," Scimeca said wryly.